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RESOLUTION URGING THE FLORIDA LEGISLATURE TO PASS SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 1192, HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 8003 OR SIMILAR LEGISLATION RATIFYING THE EQUAL RIGHTS AMENDMENT TO THE U.S. CONSTITUTION

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WHEREAS, in 1923, three years after women won the right to vote, the Equal Rights Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was introduced in Congress; and
WHEREAS, on March 22, 1972, Congress sent the proposed Equal Rights Amendment to the states for ratification; and
WHEREAS, the Equal Rights Amendment states:

SECTION 1. Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex.

SECTION 2. The Congress shall have the power to enforce, by appropriate legislation, the provisions of this article.

SECTION 3. This amendment shall take effect two years after the date of ratification; and

WHEREAS, Congress placed a deadline of June 30, 1982 on the ratification process and thirty-five states ratified the proposed Amendment before the deadline; and
WHEREAS, Florida was not one of the states that ratified the Equal Rights Amendment before the deadline expired; and
WHEREAS, it is something of an open legal question whether Congress had the constitutional authority to place a deadline on the ratification process and effectively did so; and

WHEREAS, legislation has been filed for consideration during the 2010 regular session of the Florida Legislature that would ratify the Equal Rights Amendment, Senate Concurrent Resolution 1192 by Senator Arthenia Joyner and House Concurrent Resolution 8003 by Representative Evan Jenne; and
WHEREAS, the Miami-Dade Board of County Commissioners finds that the proposed Equal Rights Amendment is meaningful and needed as part of the U.S. Constitution and supports passage of the concurrent resolutions filed in the House and Senate during the 2010 session,
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS OF MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, FLORIDA, that the Board:
Section 1. Urges the Florida legislature to pass Senate Concurrent Resolution 1192, House Concurrent Resolution 8003 or similar legislation ratifying the proposed Equal Rights Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
Section 2. Directs the Clerk of the Board to transmit a certified copy of this resolution to the Governor, Senate President, House Speaker, the Chair and Members of the Miami-Dade County State Legislative Delegation, Senator Arthenia Joyner and Representative Evan Jenne.
Section 3. Directs the County�s state lobbyists to advocate for the issue set forth in Section 1 above, and authorizes and directs the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs to amend the 2010 State Legislative Package to include this item.